FAA Says EAA Programs Helped Build Safety Culture

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) announced that for the FAA’s Fiscal Year which ended September 30, 2024, preliminary accident totals in the Experimental category were below the agency’s goal, marking an excellent safety record for the year.

The FAA had set a not-to-exceed goal of 46 accidents and although the total is not yet finalized, the initial number of 37 accidents is well below that. Of those, 29 involved fatal injuries in homebuilt aircraft. The final tally will be made available in a few weeks, but the number still reflects a much-improved year for safety despite an increase in the total number of flight hours.

Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety noted, “FAA officials have taken notice of these improved safety figures. Agency officials have remarked to us how EAA’s programs have helped build the safety culture that leads to these positive numbers.”

The EAA and FAA’s Office of Accident Investigation and Prevention work together in a collaborative effort to track fatal experimental aircraft accidents through the fiscal year. The FAA sets a not-to-exceed number based on a 1% reduction in the previous three-year average accident totals. The goal is a 10 percent reduction in 10 years, beginning in fiscal 2011. Monthly totals are also tracked, as flying hours vary from month to month.

Longstanding EAA programs that are focused on safety include the Technical Counselor and Flight Advisory programs. The group also publishes its EAA Flight Test Manual that is about to be updated in its Second Edition.

FMI:  www.eaa.org/eaa/